SD Mines President Tours Sanford Underground Lab

lead, sd

The new president of the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology has gotten an up-close look at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead.

Officials at the lab nearly a mile underground are conducting research on complex subjects such as nuclear reactions within stars and dark matter, an elusive substance that scientists believe makes up about 25 percent of the universe.

School of Mines President Heather Wilson toured the lab Monday. She says a relationship between the school and the lab is important because each can help the other when it comes to teaching and advancing knowledge.

The former congresswoman from New Mexico has been a consultant for top-tier defense contractors and science laboratories. She took over leadership at the Rapid City school earlier this month.